Community Focus - Fro99ywo99y1

Jan 25 - Cozmo

As soon as players got their hands on Sparrows, they immediately wanted to race them. To satisfy this need for speed we introduced Sparrow Racing League, where Guardians dispatched on high-velocity death races filled with enemy combatants. Sparrow Racing made its return during The Dawning last month and we noticed that one player had put down the fastest times for not one, not two, but all four of the tracks. Leaving the competition in the dust, Fro99ywo99y (pronounced Froggy Woggy… we think) is the fastest Guardian on a Sparrow. We invited him here to learn some of his secrets for navigating our tracks and avoiding inconveniently placed heavy equipment.

Take off your racing helmet and tell us a little bit about yourself.

FW: I’m currently a freshman in college looking to major in Computer Science. Gaming has always been a big hobby of mine and having played Halo, I knew I had to check out Bungie’s next project. I’ve been playing Destiny on and off since launch and loving every moment. But I can’t say anything really clicked for me the way Sparrow Racing League did. I guess all those years of beating my sisters in Mario Kart finally paid off, because in this last season of SRL I managed to achieve the fastest times on all four tracks.

You have shattered all of the Sparrow Racing records. We take it you like to go fast?

FW: Definitely. However, it’s important to note that those records were only possible because of the Raid Sparrows (Timebreaker & Graverobber). These Sparrows have the Overdrive perk which allows them to gain extra speed at the risk of exploding if held for too long. While these Sparrows have a lower base speed than trick Sparrows, the Overdrive ability end up making them much faster. Now before anyone starts equipping their Raid Sparrow, I’d like to warn you that these Sparrows can be very unforgiving. They handle a lot differently than other Sparrows and lack the ability to do tricks which means you must make every side-boost count. Instead, I’d recommend first learning the tracks with the trick Sparrows until you are very comfortable being able to stick to your racing line and knowing when and where to use the side-boosts.

The Raid Sparrows are like the high-performance race cars that are effective in the hands of a professional, but dangerous to newcomers. Do you have any pointers on how players can be better racers?

FW: I’d say the most important thing is being able to use the side-boosts effectively. Getting the timing and precision down can turn a good racer into a great one. While each turn is different, for the most part you want to cut the corners as tight as possible by pre-turning your camera in the direction you want to go and using the side-boosts through the gates to stay at max speed (example.) If the turn is very sharp, you’ll want to use both sticks in the same direction. Also, be sure to use the racing gear with the air control helmet because every moment you spend in the air you’re losing speed.

In regards to the Raid Sparrows, not blowing up is your main priority. After holding the Overdrive for a while you will begin to hear beeps. To prevent explosions let off the Overdrive when you hear the second beep, because if you hear a third one your Sparrow will self-destruct. To get the most out of the Raid Sparrows you want to balance the Overdrive effectively. To help with this I typically will use the Overdrive in between gates and let it rest as I go through them. There’s certainly a lot more track/turn specific tips, but that would take quite a long time to list them all. I have my best runs uploaded to my YouTube if you’d like to see exactly what I’m doing on each track.

Now for the most important question. Which Subclass is best? Also, give us your favorite weapon and favorite Sparrow since you obviously know your Sparrows.

FW: You can never go wrong with the Striker Titan. Not only is it one of the most agile classes in the game because of Titan skating, but it also has access to Lightning Grenades… and Juggernaut. I love how the Swords feel in Destiny, so I’d have to say my favorite weapon is Dark Drinker simply because it’s the only Exotic Sword I currently own. As for my favorite Sparrow, it would have to be the Timebreaker purely because of the name.

Anything that explodes on occasion is a fine choice. What was the most difficult track for you to secure the fastest time?

FW: While I would consider Shining Sands to be the hardest track, the one I had the most trouble with was Infinite Descent. This was because of a very talented French fellow known as ScaRdrow. He managed to achieve a very impressive 3:48.2 on Infinite Descent, which for the life of me I just could not beat until I discovered a slightly faster trick with the waterfall.

We are familiar with that talented French fellow from his previous appearance here. Other than Sparrow Racing, what are your other favorite activities to do in Destiny?

FW: I know it’s a cliché, but nothing compares to the first time you experience a new Raid in Destiny. The excitement and adventure of completing a puzzle for the first time, or laying eyes on the next boss is unmatched by anything else in the game. Also, while I’m not particularly great at it, I love me some Trials of Osiris.

Those are both favorites of mine as well. This race is coming to an end. Is there anything else you would like to say before we cross the finish line?

FW: First, I’d like to say thank you very much for having me, it was a pleasure. I’d also like to give a shout out to a great Twitch streamer EternalHazard who discovered and shared with me many of the shortcuts/tricks that I used to achieve my fastest times. Finally, thank you Bungie for listening to the community and creating SRL and hopefully we will soon see its return.

The Sparrow Racing event is over, but you can still work on your fastest times and race your friends for bragging rights in Private Matches. We would like to give a big thanks to Fro99ywo99y1 for taking the time to share some racing tips with us. Be sure to give his YouTube channel a visit so you can watch all of his record breaking runs.